On April 21, more than 150 members of the Duke community gathered in front of Duke Chapel to share thoughts on the guilty verdict of Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, a verdict that Trinity College Dean Valerie Ashby described as a “ray of light in a sea of darkness.” The event was organized by the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Office of Student Affairs in hopes that students could have a safe place to hear from Black campus leaders and to share a moment in community with one… read more about Duke Community Gathers to Reflect on Chauvin Verdict and the History of Violence agaisnt Black Americans »
Brandon Garrett and James Coleman share insights with local and national media. They were not overly optimistic the conviction of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd will spur major police reform. Learn more here. read more about Legal Experts Not Optimistic Chauvin Case will Transform Policing »
Kanecia Zimmerman, MD, MPH, is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine, at Duke University Medical Center, as well as the co-principal investigator of the STAR program. Dr. Zimmerman is the recipient of a Duke CTSA Career Development Award, and she focuses her research on improving the safety of drugs administered to critically ill children. Dr. Zimmerman earned her MD from Duke University and her MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel… read more about BTT Faculty Features Series: Meet Kanecia Zimmerman »
Gillian Schmidler will chair a committee to search for the new dean of the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) to replace interim director Dr. Dennis Clements. The committee should seek an intellectual leader who will seek “the highest aspirations in faculty hiring and retention” and will be both a consensus builder as well as a decision maker. The goal is for the committee to present recommendations to the chancellor and provost by August 16, 2021. Applications and nominations for the search, as well as requests… read more about Committee Formed to Seek New Director of the Duke Global Health Institute »
William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen reflect on the past year since they published the critically acclaimed book From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. Read more here. read more about Reflecting on the Past Year Since the Publication of From Here to Equality »
Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery pushes for overcoming fear to live one's life fully. Read more of his op-ed here. read more about Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery on Burying fear »
Dr. Kafui Dzirasa shared a public statement concrete steps to diversify the scientific workforce with colleagues. Read the full article here and find the video here. read more about Dr. Kafui Dzirasa finds concrete steps to diversify the scientific workforce with colleagues »
The lynching of Black bodies was a ritual gathering. ..trees as witnesses of these acts of terror...in several African diaspora spiritual traditions, "practitioners recognize forests, rivers, and oceans as natural resources embodying spiritual subjects" (Concha-Holmes, 2012)...what might we imagine as held memories by these spiritual subjects? how do we create points of access, or portals to engage in acts of remembrance and recovery? Read the full description here. View this exhibit in-person until April 23rd or… read more about Duke Dance Program Spring Dance Series - Preparing Grounds: Portals and Portability »
For the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Month, a look at six Duke faculty who have published poetry collections, including Nathaniel Mackey, Tsitsi Jaji, and Jacques Pierre. View their collections and the full list of faculty here. read more about Celebrate National Poetry Month with Six Duke Faculty Poets »
As we close out the 2020-2021 school year, Black Think Tank would like to highlight the 10 most-viewed news stories in the spring of 2021 on the BTT website. We were proud to see how the Black faculty at Duke continued to share their voice, deepen their knowledge, and connect with their fellow scholars throughout the year, whether it was learning more about faculty and the scholarship they are producing or recognizing the exciting initiatives they are leading. Check out the 10 most-viewed news stories on BTT'… read more about Top Ten BTT News Stories of Spring 2021! »
Congratulations to Dr. Thavolia Glymph on receiving the following honors for her book The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation. The Darlene Clark Hine Award The Mary Nickliss Prize in U.S. Women's and/or Gender History The Civil War and Reconstruction Book Award View the full awards ceremony here. read more about Congratulations to Thavolia Glymph on her awards from the Organization of American Historians! »
Faculty members in myriad fields began gathering real-time data about the pandemic, including several scholars who analyzed various aspects of its psychological impact and are working to bring help to those most affected. This includes PROJECT ROUSE , which looks at mental health effects within the university community. Listen as Dr. Tyson Brown discusses the research here. Learn more about all the researchers here. read more about Get to know the Eight Duke Scholars Examining the Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic »
On this episode, Dr. Celine Gounder speaks with Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, a psychiatrist and NIH-funded brain researcher at Duke University, about his journey climbing to the heights of biomedical research in the United States as a first-generation immigrant and a black man. We’ll hear how the legacy of slavery continues in science and medicine, Kaf’s advice on finding mentors, and how he’s handling the pandemic as a scientist and an African American. Listen here. read more about A Black Man in Science Part I: The Pursuit of Truth / Kafui Dzirasa »
Two respected scholars -- one of African literature and one of the political economy -- will join the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty this year. Grace Musila has been named associate professor in the Department of English, and Eric Mvukiyehe has been named assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. Read more about their research here. read more about Two Experts on Africa to Join Trinity Faculty »
Congratulations to Professors Maggie Lemos, Guy-Uriel Charles, David F. Levi, and Walter Dellinger on being appointed to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. The Commission’s purpose is to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals. Read more about it here. read more about Congratulations to Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles on being appointed to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States! »
Dr. William A. Darity was quoted in the New York Times on the building of the racial wealth gap. Read more here. read more about Beyond Pandemic’s Upheaval, a Racial Wealth Gap Endures »
The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute is launching a new Center for Pathway Programs to support professional development programming that enhances career opportunities for underrepresented students and early-career trainees. The Center will be led by Dr. Tony Fuller and Dr. Charles Muiruri. Read more about the new center here. read more about Dr. Tony Fuller and Dr. Charles Muiruri to lead new Center for Pathway Programs »
In a new paper in Advanced Genetics, Dr. Charmaine Royal and colleagues say an array of factors — including environmental and social conditions — shape the course of illness. Royal's newly-published article in Advanced Genetics — with colleagues from Duke, the University of Cape Town and the University of the West Indies — focuses on the idea of looking at sickle cell disease in a more global context, as a prototype for integrative research and health care. read more about Sickle Cell Disease: More Than A Genetic Condition »
Duke University School of Medicine is proud to acknowledge the faculty members who were selected as recipients of this year’s School of Medicine faculty awards. Find all the awardees here. Kevin L. Thomas - Excellence in Professionalism. Kafui Dzirasa - The Ruth and A. Morris Williams Faculty Research Prize. Maria J. Small - The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award Kimberly S. Johnson - … read more about School of Medicine Celebrates 2021 Faculty Award Recipients »
Dr. Opeyemi Olabisi hopes to change that. Olabisi is the principal investigator of the Duke APOL1 Study, based in Durham and now Kannapolis. His research could pave the way for innovative prevention and treatment of APOL1-associated kidney disease. He partnered with CTSI’s Translational Population Health Research group and the MURDOCK Study, Duke’s landmark research study based in Kannapolis, to recruit people with African ancestry living in and near Cabarrus County. Read more about it here. read more about Duke-Kannapolis launches kidney disease study for people of African descent »
Vascular Cures is pleased to announce Kevin Southerland MD, an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Duke University as the 2021 Wylie Scholar. His research work is on the “Transcriptional Dynamics and Heterogeneity of Macrophages in Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia.” Read more about the award and his research here. read more about Dr. Kevin Southerland Announced as 2021 Wylie Scholar »
Learn more about the poet and professor Dr. Nathaniel Mackey in this feature in the New Yorker here. read more about Nathaniel Mackey’s Long Song »
Recently Dr. Jennifer Nash presented at the The Thomas Langford Award and Lecture Series. This series is a tribute to the memory of Thomas Langford who served as Divinity School faculty member, Dean, and Provost at Duke University. The award provides Duke faculty an opportunity to hear about the ongoing scholarly activities of new or recently promoted colleagues. Read more about the program here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Nash for receiving the Thomas Langford Award »
Stephen Buckley, a veteran editor and educator who worked at The Washington Post, Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute, has been chosen as one of two new Eugene C. Patterson Professors of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Buckley will join the other new Patterson professor, New York Timescolumnist Frank Bruni, whose appointment was announced Monday. They will begin July 1 in the DeWitt Wallace Center for… read more about Veteran editor and educator Stephen Buckley to join journalism faculty of Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy »
New Cook Center analysis shows that for Black students, school integration was no panacea. Integrating the American classroom has long been a goal of many who seek to eradicate racial discrimination. But a new paper from four economists, including Duke University’s William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr., suggests that Black students do not always benefit from attending racially balanced schools. Read more here. read more about For Some Black Students, Discrimination Outweighed Integration's Benefits »
The first-ever university-wide climate survey will be foundational to establishing new policies and practices to build a more equitable campus community, survey organizers said. But as comprehensive and as important as the survey is, it’s only going to be as effective as the number of faculty, staff and students who participate, they add. “The survey will be foundational for our anti-racism and equity work in the future,” said Kimberly Hewitt, vice president for institutional equity. “This will set the baseline for how we… read more about First University Comprehensive Survey on Anti-Racism & Equity Issues Distributed »
Join us in congratulating Dr. Kafui Dzirasa of Duke Psychiatry & Duke Neurology on winning the Duke Medical School 2021 Ruth & A. Morris Williams Faculty Research Prize. Hear Dr. Dzirasa talk about the groundbreaking research that earned him this award here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Kafui Dzirasa on winning Faculty Research Prize! »
Duke Health leaders have selected ten high-potential innovation projects to be implemented as part of the Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI)’s annual call for project ideas in the areas of novel strategies to improve value of care delivery, advance health equity, amplify digital solutions for care and monitoring, strengthen provider and staff experience and well-being and enhance patient engagement and experience. Dr. Lisa McElroy is the Principal Investigator and is joined by collaborator Dr. Julius… read more about Congratulations to Dr. Lisa McElroy and Dr. Julius Wilder on receiving a DIHI 2021 Innovation Award »
BTT welcomes new faculty member Dr. Chantell Evans. Dr. Evans joins Duke as an Assistant Professor and Duke Science & Technology Scholar in Cell Biology. read more about Welcome to new faculty member Dr. Chantell Evans! »
Julius Wilder, MD, PhD, has been named Co-Faculty Lead of the Community Engaged Research Initiative (CERI). Dr. Wilder will join Leonor Corsino, MD, and Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda PhD, MPH, RN, CPH, FAAN, as part of the core’s faculty leadership team. Dr. Wilder will help support initiatives within CERI focused on engaging our community partners in research projects addressing social determinants of health. He is honored to join CERI and contribute to this tremendous successful program. Learn more here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Julius Wilder on joining Community Engaged Research Initiative as Co-Faculty Lead »